Taeri didn't expect to see a familiar face when she got home that evening. As she stepped into Eun Jung's apartment, she was met with the sight of Kim Su-ho sprawled on the living room floor, scrolling through his phone like he owned the place.
"Punk!" she gasped, a smile spreading across her face as she dropped her bag and practically tackled him in a hug. "What are you doing here, brat?"
"Noona!" Su-ho grinned, squeezing her back. "Why do you look more like my real sister than Eun Jung does?"
"I ask myself the same thing every day," Eun Jung muttered, coming out of her room with a towel wrapped around her head. "Seriously, you two are inseparable when you're together."
The three of them laughed, and for a moment, the house was filled with that rare, comforting warmth that only comes from found family.
---
The next morning was less heartwarming. In fact, it was downright alarming.
"Is something burning?!" Eun Jung shouted as she bolted out of bed, her nostrils flaring at the thick, smoky stench wafting through the air.
She stormed into the kitchen in her pajamas, only to be greeted by chaos: a coughing Taeri waving a kitchen towel at the smoke detector, and Su-ho standing over a frying pan with what looked like the remains of toast charred into a blackened fossil.
"I was trying to make breakfast!" Su-ho defended, flipping the disaster over with a spatula as if it'd magically revive.
"You're trying to burn down my house, you mean!" Eun Jung yelled.
"Yah! He's doing his best," Taeri coughed, still fanning the smoke toward the window.
"His best is a public hazard! That toast could be used in a crime scene."
"Noona, I thought you'd appreciate a warm breakfast."
"Warm? This thing is cremated!"
Eventually, after some ventilation and a lot of dramatic sighing, the three of them sat around the dining table with bowls of cereal, some half-burned eggs, and Taeri's instant coffee.
The sunlight spilled through the kitchen window.
"So, what's everyone doing today?" Eun Jung asked, sipping her coffee.
"I'm heading to SNU to check out the campus," Su-ho said proudly.
"Look at you, little freshman," Taeri grinned. "Don't forget to ask for the student discount everywhere you go. Milk it while it lasts."
"I plan to," he smirked.
"I'll just be home, working on scripts," Eun Jung said casually.
"Scripts? I thought the read-through already happened."
"Yeah, but I have to send the new drafts to the head writer. I'm technically just the assistant scriptwriter," she said
"Assistant? But you're the one who wrote the thing!" Taeri frowned.
"Welcome to the hierarchy," Eun Jung said dryly.
"Yah, don't worry," Su-ho chimed in. "When I become a world-renowned AI professor, I'll give you all the credit in my speeches."
"That's the least you could do for almost killing us with burnt toast."
They all laughed again.
---
Meanwhile, Park Eun Ho was jogging on a treadmill in his home gym, earbuds in, sweat glistening along his jaw. He glanced briefly at the script open on a nearby bench, then focused back on his pace.
After fifteen minutes, he slowed the machine and grabbed his towel, wiping the sweat from his neck. He gulped down some water just as his phone beeped.
A message from Minjae.
Minjae: "Don't forget. Family dinner tonight at 6. Try not to be late."
He stared at the screen for a long moment, lips parting slightly. Then, without replying, he tossed the phone aside and headed for the shower.
---
The sky had shifted into hues of gold and lavender, casting long shadows over the courtyard of the Park family estate. It was large yet refined — like a silent testament to the family's legacy.
Park Eun Ho stood at the grand entrance dressed sharply in a dark blazer, A housekeeper greeted him.
"Master Eun Ho, they're expecting you. Please follow me."
He gave a short nod.
The hallway was filled with the scent of aged wood and expensive incense. Everything about the house screamed restraint and perfection. Cold, calculated elegance.
When he entered the dining room, all eyes turned.
At the head of the table sat his father, Park Min Seok, stern as ever, posture as rigid as his beliefs. Beside him, the ever-elegant Choi Myung Hee, Eun Ho's stepmother, smiled with perfectly painted lips. And next to her was his Younger brother, Park Jae Hyun — suited, smug, and already sipping wine.
Eun Ho bowed slightly.
"Father. Mother. Hyung."
Jae Hyun raised his glass, his smile thin. "Well, well. The prodigal son returns. I was starting to think your schedule was too packed for your own blood."
Eun Ho didn't respond. He walked to his seat, pulled the chair out slowly, and sat down.
Across from him, Park Min Seok's eyes remained unblinking.
"Let's eat," the old man said.